The present invention relates to electric stun devices and, more particularly, to electrically insulated coverings for darts that are expelled from the electric stun device by compressed air. Electrically insulating material is applied to areas of the darts that do not penetrate the living tissue of the target.
Electric stun devices have evolved with several methods for the delivery of a high voltage discharge to an intended target. Some of these methods include direct contact probes on the enclosure of the hand-held power supply for a direct contact method. Another method employs an auxiliary source propelled projectile with all elements of the power supply contained within the projectile. Yet another method utilizes electrically conductive liquids forcibly expelled from the hand-held power supply to deliver an immobilizing electric charge to a target. The most current and commercially available delivery system is that of dual compressed air propelled darts that serve as the high voltage electrode/projectiles with attached wires between the darts and the hand-held power supply. The leading end of each dart is fitted with a barb to penetrate the surface of, and secure itself to a target which in most cases is living tissue of a human being. This two tethered dart method is the system incorporated in the TAZER® device. The darts of the electric stun devices currently available are not insulated. The following U.S. Patents which disclose electric stun devices that employ the two tethered dart method of electric charge delivery or a reasonably similar method are cited. U.S. Pat. No. 3,523,538 entitled “ARREST DEVICE” issued on Aug. 11, 1970 to Kunio Shimizu discloses a delivery system that incorporates a single compressed air propelled projectile with two embedded electrodes and attached wires to the hand-held power supply. U.S. Pat. No. 3,803,463 entitled “WEAPON FOR IMMOBILIZATION AND CAPTURE” issued on Apr. 9, 1974 to John H Cover and U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,538 entitled “POWER SUPPLY FOR WEAPON FOR IMMOBILIZATION AND CAPTURE” issued on Feb. 24, 1981 to John H. Cover each disclose delivery systems using one or two tethered darts or a net tethered with a sufficient number of wires to the hand-held power supply. U.S. Pat. No. 5,654,867 entitled “IMMOBILIZATION WEAPON” issued on Aug. 5, 1997 to John H. Murray discloses a dual delivery system with the choice of the direct contact method or the two tethered dart method. U.S. Pat. No. 5,831,199 entitled “WEAPON FOR IMMOBILIZATION AND CAPTURE” issued on Nov. 3, 1998 to James McNulty Jr. et al discloses a delivery system that employs a modified two tethered dart method. U.S. Pat. No. 6,575,073 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IMPLEMENTING A TWO PROJECTILE ELECTRICAL DISCHARGE WEAPON” issued Jun. 10, 2003 to James McNulty Jr. et al discloses the use of a modified two tethered dart delivery system. U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,412 B2 entitled “HAND-HELD STUN GUN FOR INCAPACITATING A HUMAN TARGET” issued on Oct. 21, 2003 to Patrick W. Smith discloses a delivery system that employs the two tethered dart method.
All of the electric stun devices disclosed in the aforementioned patents incorporate some form of electric and/or electronic circuitry which, if short-circuited, will disable the device by reducing the high voltage charge to a low or zero voltage. If these electric stun devices are operated with a short-circuit condition for a prolonged period of time, it is most likely that the electrical and/or electronic circuitry would be damaged and render the device useless until it is completely disassembled and repaired. Various puncture resistant garments, which are electrically conductive, are generally rigid shields worn external of clothing and are constructed of bulky inflexible metals such as titanium or other extremely hard metal alloys. A more detailed analysis of these metallic vests and garments can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,193 entitled “COMBINED PUNCTURE RESISTANT AND BALLISTIC RESISTANT PROTECTIVE GARMENT” issued Oct. 17, 2000 to Thomas E. Bachner Jr. The disadvantages of the garments described in the “Background of the Invention” of U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,193 are due to the bulk and rigidity of such externally worn metallic vests. The primary disadvantages are that they are uncomfortable to wear, decrease mobility, cause fatigue and are not readily concealable. Garments made from metal coated fabrics as cited in U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/465,553 entitled “ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE APRON AND ACCESSORY TO PROTECT AGAINST ELECTRIC STUN DEVICE MISUSE” filed Mar. 21, 2011 by John L. Kotos and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/516,683 entitled “ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTIVE PROTECTIVE GARMENT ENSEMBLE TO PROTECT AGAINST ELECTRIC STUN DEVICE MISUSE” filed Apr. 6, 2011 by John L. Kotos render the effectiveness of currently available electric stun devices using the two tethered dart method negligible. Thus, there is a need for an electrically insulated covering for electric stun device darts, so that when the barbed ends are embedded in the living tissue of a human or another living target while wearing a garment made from a metal coated fabric, the protective properties of the garment are nullified and the normal operation of the electric stun device is unaffected.